The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Pentas plant, botanically known as Pentas lanceolata, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Comet.
The new Pentas is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Odense, Denmark. The new Pentas originated from a self-pollination made by the Inventor of the Pentas lanceolata cultivar Juniper, not patented. The new Pentas was selected in a controlled environment from the resulting progeny by the Inventor in early 1998, on the basis of its red purple-colored flowers and suitability for container production.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in Odense, Denmark has shown that the unique features of this new Pentas are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar Comet have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, daylength, water status, and fertility level without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Cometxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Cometxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Uniform and compact plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit.
3. Numerous red purple-colored flowers.
4. Suitable for container production.
Plants of the new Pentas differ from plants of its parent cultivar, Juniper, and plants of its sibling cultivar Mars, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/624,469; Polaris, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/624,470; and Venus, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/624,407, primarily in flower color. Specifically, compared to plants of the culitvar Venus, plants of the new Pentas have darker petal coloration.
Plants of the new Pentas can be compared to plants of the cultivar Lilac Mist, not patented. Plants of the new Pentas differ from plants of the cultivar Lilac Mist in the following characteristics:
1. Leaves of the new Pentas are more intense green and glossier than leaves of the cultivar Lilac Mist.
2. Plants of the new Pentas have larger inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Lilac Mist.
3. Petals of the new Pentas are broader than petals of the cultivar Lilac Mist.
4. Petal color of the new Pentas is darker and more intense than petal color of the cultivar Lilac Mist.